Open Wounds
by goodbye wonderland
Summary: The grounds of their friendship had finally fragmented as did the remains of his heart - Slight SasuSaku - COMPLETE.


**Title:** Open Wounds  
**Author:** Kameko-Lullaby  
**Summary:** The grounds of their friendship had finally fragmented.  
**Pairing**(_s_)**:** Slight SasuSaku  
**Words:** 684  
**Author Note:** I wrote this so long ago, and I just finally decided to edit it for the more recent chapters of the Naruto manga.

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"Does it hurt?"

Dark impenetrable onyx stared up into emerald pools filled with so much emotion that, if his heart wasn't of such cold stone, he would have drowned in their depths. He scowled, "What do you think?"

A strained but, pretty smile graced her rosy lips, "Good."

He muttered something under his breath before turning his black gaze towards the thickening mass of grey clouds above that threatened to spill rain upon them. She took his moment of brooding to scan over his pale flesh that was now dotted with black-and-blue bruises and oozing gashes.

"You're bleeding quite a lot," Sakura murmured taking note of the red liquid sweeping through the white shirt he wore underneath the Atasuki robe. By the look of the amount of the blood he was losing unconsciousness would be a very short time away and sweet oblivion was sure to follow.

"And you're an asshole," The raven-haired wheezed before he was enveloped in a fury of coughing that left him nearly groaning in pain. He scowled at her deeply when she chuckled.

The pink-haired medic shinobi laughed again, "And you're the same pig-headed boy who thinks he's better than the rest of society; the same arrogant bastard." It was a deceleration of morbid humor.

There was a moment of silence between the two former teammates. "What happened to being in love with me?" Sasuke finally asked, never breaking from the monotone that Sakura knew so well.

She didn't reply.

"You still are, aren't you?" He urged taking note of the way she glanced away from him only to have her pretty emerald orbs flutter back.

"Yes," She answered. "And I'll go to hell for it."

"You're an idiot,"

She glanced away from his face to let the lithe muscles in her neck bring her gaze to the unconscious form of Naruto. The fox container had fought hard against the MIA ninja in a furious barrage of punches and chakra that climaxed in an ending strike that left him simply unconscious and Sasuke near the river of hellfire he was destined for.

"He, in a different way, loves you too," Sakura murmured.

Sasuke remained silent, his eyes straying back to the sky.

"Aren't be both idiots?"

"You're both fools,"

Sakura shrugged before glancing at his face once again, "He got strong, you know."

The simple statement caught the last Uchiha off guard. His dark eyes flickered back towards her, "I know." He answered quietly, voice never changing.

"Because of the village, because of the determination, because of love he got stronger than _you_," Sakura continued on emphasizing 'you' with so much poorly hidden acid that if it wasn't for the pain eating at his body he would have flinched with its burn.

He didn't answer, nor did he appear to acknowledge her. She stood letting her knees snap and stretch before she turned quickly to the unmoving form in the distant so fast that her pink-strands whipped the flesh of her cheek. With one last foul look over her shoulder, she turned her attention fully to the fox container, and some-sort of voice told Sasuke that he would always have it.

Sasuke let out a violent exhale of breath when the steadying of his heartbeat finally reached his ears. It was beginning to slow to a throbbing beat after busying itself with trying to push the life elixir that he was losing so quickly to his limbs that were growing numb. At first they fluttered with pins-and-needles but, now…_nothing._

His lips parted to form words even though he knew that what left his throat could very well be lost to the wind that throw dust and ashes across the battlefield. It started in a wheeze but, broke somewhere in the middle of the syllables. He had more range to his voice then he remembered.

He smiled.

It was a mere soft curve of lip, but it spoke of contentment.

"_I know, Sakura."_

He wanted her to hear.

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And maybe she did.

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Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto  
Almost inexistence plot of fanfiction © Kameko-Lullaby


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